Updated guidance for invoice procedures during COVID-19 outbreak

Updated guidance for invoice policies and procedures during COVID-19 pandemic  

Dear TSET Grantees:

As a champion for health for all Oklahomans, the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) is committed to supporting our grantees and their communities during the COVID-19 outbreak. TSET understands that work on TSET-supported grants is likely being impacted by the pandemic, and we are reaching out to all grantees to advise you of updated policies and procedures to maximize the flexibility extended to all grantees during this unprecedented time.

This email is meant to provide grantees with guidance related to invoicing and reporting requirements under active TSET cooperative agreements. If you have any questions about the information contained in this email or any other aspect of your grant, please contact Kelly Parker (kellyp@tset.ok.gov) or Tessa North (tessan@tset.ok.gov) for clarification.

For all grantees, the following requirements have been suspended or adjusted at this time and until further notice:

1. Claim for reimbursement due dates: Claims for reimbursement should normally be submitted to TSET no later than the 30^th day of the month for charges incurred during the preceding month. Due to COVID-19, grantees who submit claims for reimbursement more than 30 days after the end of the preceding month will not be penalized in any way. As always, grantees are encouraged to submit claims in a timely manner. Charges for a given month may be submitted to TSET on any subsequent claim for reimbursement. Final FY20 claims for reimbursement are still expected to be submitted by September 30, 2020.
2. Authorized signatures: If your organization’s authorized official who normally signs claims for reimbursement needs to designate an alternate signatory due to COVID-19 duties, the authorized official can email TSET Grants Management (grantsmanagement@tset.ok.gov) to indicate who the approved signatory shall be, as well as any expiration date for the authorization. If the grantee organization allows it, TSET will accept digital signatures on claims for reimbursement.
3. Personnel: Personnel charges for TSET-supported grantees may still be billed to TSET. However, if staff time is being diverted from normal TSET-supported duties to COVID-19-related duties, please indicate on the claim for reimbursement form how much of the monthly salary included in the invoice is related to COVID-19 response and how much is related to normal TSET-supported duties. See the claim for reimbursement example by clicking this link. Note that only time logged after the Governor’s declaration of emergency on March 15, 2020, may be coded to COVID-19 on a TSET claim for reimbursement.
4. Annual renewal requests: The deadline for submission of annual renewal documents remains unchanged: April 17, 2020. Should this deadline change, TSET will inform grantees.

For TSET Healthy Living Program grantees, the above guidelines apply, and the following additional requirements have been suspended or adjusted at this time and until further notice:

1. Monthly briefings: TSET Grants Management will process invoices regardless of whether the accompanying monthly briefing has been submitted or not.
2. Deadlines: The deadline for submitting reassessment PPTs, FAMS reassessments, Quarterly Update Reports for Quarter 3 and the monthly evaluation report has been extended to April 17, 2020.
3. Adult Partners: (if applicable) With schools being closed for the rest of the year, it may be difficult for your adult partners to fulfill their contract obligations.  Some adult partners are also teachers trying to cope with adjusting to distance learning.  Due to the uncertainty in these times and the inability to fulfill remaining adult partner contract deliverables as prescribed, TSET requests for you to terminate any subcontracts you have in place with adult partners.  In order to accomplish this, you will need to look at the signed subcontract and follow the termination protocol.  Adult partners should only be paid for the work they have completed, and not for the full amount of the subcontract.  Once they have submitted the required documentation of their work, a final partial payment may be made to them.
4. Health Communication Sponsorships: At this time, health communication consultants will not be approving new event sponsorship requests. Once public health guidance has changed to allow for public gatherings, we will resume reviews and expedite requests.
5. Other Sponsorships: School garden sponsorships will not be approved for the remainder of FY20. Community garden sponsorships will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

In addition to the items specifically listed for HLP above, HLP grantees are asked to please respond to the email sent by TSET Health Communications last week seeking information regarding sponsorships and events.

TSET understands that each grantee is feeling the effects of COVID-19 in different ways and that each grantee organization is responding differently to the pandemic. TSET advises grantees to adhere to their agency’s internal policies and procedures and to take advantage of the flexibility that TSET is able to offer in terms of invoicing and reporting to the greatest extent possible. TSET and State of Oklahoma staff are working remotely and payments are being processed and paid as usual, albeit perhaps a bit slower.

If you have any questions about your grant or seek any additional flexibility, please contact your program officer and grant manager for assistance. We thank you for your continued support of health in Oklahoma and are happy to support you in whatever way we can.